The Chit Chat Chit Chat Thread

[MySmallWorldof4]

Tell me about it. I drove home through DC on the way home that trip and couldn't figure out what all the fuss about rush hour there was all about

Think it is much worse now though. Too many people in Northern VA.

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

Our cherry tree has some yummy cherries now. I was just standing by it yesterday just picking on at a time and eating them. It is a sour cherry tree and apparently I am the only one that likes them. No problem there.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Do you stay at the DVC in HHI? We have been going every September for the last 4 years. Love it! Dh lives it better then Disney World.

Yup. We love it there too. I've even gotten to know some of the CMs.

There's definitely evidence of Hurrican Matthew. Lots of repaving since the storm.

 

[Songbird76]

It may not be the route but how fast dh drives. But seriously we live 953 miles away. So divide that by 70 which is probably average speed and you get 13.5. We take 81 south which is just a few miles from our house. We are only 16 miles from MD. Then we either take 81 straight to 77 in NC and cut over to 95 or take 81 S to 70 and take 495 on the west side of DC to 95. We try to avoid rush hour times. Last year we did an overnight drive which was rough and probably won't do that again. We left around 4 in the afternoon and were at a Perkins near Winter Haven I think by 6 am.

I don't know the route we took when we drove there...I think I was about 9 or 10. But I know it took 3 days and I remember going through St. Louis, and through Kentucky, because we stopped at Mammoth cave...and we went through Tennessee, because the Denny's there was out of EVERYTHING...and we went to some museum in Hays Kansas...and got Yoohoo at a gas station in Georgia. Such a great time, but we never just drove straight through to anywhere. We always made many stops to see Historical sites and points of interest, etc. We probably could have made it faster, but it wouldn't have been nearly as fun!

 

[Songbird76]

Holland's River of Flowers.

Well, I guess I have another place to add to my "places to go" list. Didn't know this was here, though I've seen the Tulip fields in the West and they are spectacular.

 

[Songbird76]

View attachment 208348Sunrise for @MinnieM123

Oh I love that!! Is that a picture you took? Is that from your house??

 

[Songbird76]

Hello everyone. Please bear with me. I thought that I would just update you guys on our precious Chloe. We had to make the gut-wrenching decision to put her down last Thursday. She was not responding to the iv fluids or eating or drinking water. She just wasn't the same kitty as she had once been. Her kidney disease finally got her. I will spare you the details because it is very hard for me to sit here and type them. She pretty much gave up and knew it was time to leave us. We brought her back home and DH buried her in our woods under a birdbath since she loved birds.
This has been one of the most difficult decisions and times in our lives. If you own a pet, you know what I mean. Our lives will be constantly changed. DH has a hard time walking past "her" room without breaking down. I figured out that we haven't been by ourselves since 1985 when our DD was born. It feels really surreal to me. Too quiet. We will get another cat in the future, but not right now.
A big thank you and hug from me and Bob to the following: @Mr Ferret 88 , @figmentfan423, @betty rose, @Songbird76, @ajrwdwgirl, @MinnieM123, and @StarWarsGirl !!! Without your thoughts and support, we could not make it through this time.
I will be back sometime soon to put up a TR about our trip. I picked up a bad cold and cough while there, so still trying to get over it.
Thanks guys!! Love you so much!

I'm so so so sorry!! I'm sure you are devastated right now and I am sending you hugs. Take however much time you need to grieve, to get healthy, do what you need to do. The trip report will be fun to read whether it's next week or next year. Prayers and pixie dust!!

 

[Songbird76]

Fellow germaphobe here too. My kids are programed by now too. I have the only 6 year old who washes her hands the second after she finishes a gymnastics class. Once a few months ago she cried on the way home and was worried she would get sick because she forgot to wash her hands. Maybe I took it too far?

My son is that way about seatbelts. His hands never seem to be clean, even after he's just washed them. But put the kid in a vehicle and start the engine before he's buckled in, and he will FREAK.

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

Yup. We love it there too. I've even gotten to know some of the CMs.

There's definitely evidence of Hurrican Matthew. Lots of repaving since the storm.

Some CM's have remained the same like some lifeguards. We love campfire!!! So much fun! Dh likes it because it is just a relaxing vacation with the Disney feel. I think that is why I like the campground so much now. It gives me the same relaxing feeling like I get in HH. We have had some nice views of the marsh on a few vacations too. Last year just the woody area so not as scenic, but still pretty and quiet. We plan on going back a few days before Labor Day for 5 days.

 

[Songbird76]

We did the Harry Potter Escape Room today for an early Father's Day gift. It was so much fun. Last week, DH and I did an Indiana Jones themed one, and it was so much fun, but we didn't make it out because it was just the 2 of us, and you really need to have more people so you can kind of split things up. So today, we did the HP one with the kids and we made it through with 27 seconds to spare! We could have made it through a bit faster...for one, there was a part where you had to stick your arm through holes on the side of a cabinet to move something from the bottom to the top, even though the doors wouldn't open...my arm got stuck, so DD ended up doing that part herself. Then there was a puzzle that was like a 2D rubic puzzle...you had to move the squares around to form a picture. While I was working on that, Hubby and DD were working on a Metro Map thing and they were plotting points on the map. I ended up switching places with Hubs and he had the rubic thing done really fast and I had to start the Metro Map over because you were supposed to follow the entire journey, not just plot the points. If you drew the routes on the map, it drew numbers that you needed for a combination lock...that was the last bit we got done and I didn't even have to do the last one...we knew the first 2 numbers, so they just tried all the different ones for the third until it opened. That thing contained the last piece of the puzzle. So had DH started with the rubic and I with the Metro, we would have been done sooner. DS cracked me up. He's color blind, and yet he figured out this thing...there was a display case with wands in different colors. There was a secret room that opened up when you solved one of the puzzles and in that room was a light panel with different sliders. As you moved the slider up or down, it changed color and you had to put them in order. So DS figured that out, but he couldn't see the colors so he couldn't do it...finally he says "Mommy, can you help me? What color is this?" He thought it was supposed to be yellow and it was actually green. So sweet. He so wanted to be able to do it himself. But he did solve several things by himself and he had the time of his life...he LOVES stuff like that. DD had not wanted to do an escape room at all and only agreed to because it was HP themed. She had so much fun that now she wants to do more of them, even if they aren't HP. I guess you can't get much higher praise than that. And apparently only 40% make it through the room. We got a picture of us holding a sign and it gives our end time. If you like puzzles and logic games, I highly recommend escape rooms.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Hello everyone. Please bear with me. I thought that I would just update you guys on our precious Chloe. We had to make the gut-wrenching decision to put her down last Thursday. She was not responding to the iv fluids or eating or drinking water. She just wasn't the same kitty as she had once been. Her kidney disease finally got her. I will spare you the details because it is very hard for me to sit here and type them. She pretty much gave up and knew it was time to leave us. We brought her back home and DH buried her in our woods under a birdbath since she loved birds.
This has been one of the most difficult decisions and times in our lives. If you own a pet, you know what I mean. Our lives will be constantly changed. DH has a hard time walking past "her" room without breaking down. I figured out that we haven't been by ourselves since 1985 when our DD was born. It feels really surreal to me. Too quiet. We will get another cat in the future, but not right now.
A big thank you and hug from me and Bob to the following: @Mr Ferret 88 , @figmentfan423, @betty rose, @Songbird76, @ajrwdwgirl, @MinnieM123, and @StarWarsGirl !!! Without your thoughts and support, we could not make it through this time.
I will be back sometime soon to put up a TR about our trip. I picked up a bad cold and cough while there, so still trying to get over it.
Thanks guys!! Love you so much!

So sorry to hear about your Chloe. It is so tough to lose a loved one, it doesn't matter if the loss is human or animal it is tough. Sounds like you gave her a nice resting spot.

I hope you recover fast from your cold.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Yeah, like that will ever happen...

I haven't driven with my dad in the car since I got my license. He was too nervous to even teach me how to drive. My mom taught me, and he took me out on a few occasions. My mom I've driven multiple times. Although last time I drove her, she was giving me instruction, and I said, "Mom, I've been licensed for five years now..."

Of all the people in my family my mom was the most comfortable with me driving. She thought my dad and sister drove like maniacs but she said my driving was just right. And she was right, they do kind of drive like maniacs! She didn't mind my husband's driving either.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

It's been a productive day The last of the plants are planted, everything that needs to be mulched is and I have a bit of mulch left for after the first heavy rain which should hit tonight. I always keep some aside for settling

We were both productive. I started my Summer 2017 Big Clean. I only got the kitchen done today but everything is clean and organized. Tomorrow I tackle the living room, downstairs bathroom, and the guest bedroom. It feels so nice to be getting this stuff done. And hubby will be out of town for a couple days so it will stay all neat and clean!

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

We did the Harry Potter Escape Room today for an early Father's Day gift. It was so much fun. Last week, DH and I did an Indiana Jones themed one, and it was so much fun, but we didn't make it out because it was just the 2 of us, and you really need to have more people so you can kind of split things up. So today, we did the HP one with the kids and we made it through with 27 seconds to spare! We could have made it through a bit faster...for one, there was a part where you had to stick your arm through holes on the side of a cabinet to move something from the bottom to the top, even though the doors wouldn't open...my arm got stuck, so DD ended up doing that part herself. Then there was a puzzle that was like a 2D rubic puzzle...you had to move the squares around to form a picture. While I was working on that, Hubby and DD were working on a Metro Map thing and they were plotting points on the map. I ended up switching places with Hubs and he had the rubic thing done really fast and I had to start the Metro Map over because you were supposed to follow the entire journey, not just plot the points. If you drew the routes on the map, it drew numbers that you needed for a combination lock...that was the last bit we got done and I didn't even have to do the last one...we knew the first 2 numbers, so they just tried all the different ones for the third until it opened. That thing contained the last piece of the puzzle. So had DH started with the rubic and I with the Metro, we would have been done sooner. DS cracked me up. He's color blind, and yet he figured out this thing...there was a display case with wands in different colors. There was a secret room that opened up when you solved one of the puzzles and in that room was a light panel with different sliders. As you moved the slider up or down, it changed color and you had to put them in order. So DS figured that out, but he couldn't see the colors so he couldn't do it...finally he says "Mommy, can you help me? What color is this?" He thought it was supposed to be yellow and it was actually green. So sweet. He so wanted to be able to do it himself. But he did solve several things by himself and he had the time of his life...he LOVES stuff like that. DD had not wanted to do an escape room at all and only agreed to because it was HP themed. She had so much fun that now she wants to do more of them, even if they aren't HP. I guess you can't get much higher praise than that. And apparently only 40% make it through the room. We got a picture of us holding a sign and it gives our end time. If you like puzzles and logic games, I highly recommend escape rooms.

Sounds like so much fun! We did an "Escape the 70's room" a few months ago and my dh were just mesmerized by the room. It was like we actually walked into a living room from the 70's. They even fed into the tv commercial clips, and tv show clips from the 70's. We were so enthralled by it that we forgot to start the game. We did end up solving it but were kind of sad to leave the room.

 

[MOXOMUMD]

 

[MinnieM123]

Quite a bit Id say, I finally have more control on the sensitivity and the processor microphones/volume.

View attachment 208348Sunrise for @MinnieM123

This is gorgeous!! I'm so bummed that I didn't see it this morning. It turned out to be a "real" Monday -- ugh.

Got up this morning and watched some news. Then I came up here and logged in--and the keyboard died!! So I didn't get to read anything here this morning. Hubs got another keyboard today and that's what I'm using here now.

 

[MinnieM123]

Took a photo of an old photo...

View attachment 208311

Woof...memories...!!!

You looked just a cute as a button!! (And as Figgy said, you haven't aged any, either!)

 

[Gabe1]

Love the pics and ugh! I just realized we missed Country Bears this last trip. Cannot believe it. (slaps hand to forehead). Know idea how that happened.

Hmpf. We got home from our fall trip and we too had missed Country Bears and we always do that once, same with the Carousel. Did at least remember CoP and Tiki. Somehow we never saw Indiana though. None of it clicked until we were home.

 

[Gabe1]

Note to self never take dh to the hardware store. It's bad enough I bought a few salvia (one of the few plants my deer don't eat) on sale but not on the list but he bought a new faucet for my kitchen sink and my kitchen will be torn apart on day this week

I remember you told the story...but my DD asked and I can't remember. How did you manage to pull off keeping the DH out of your kitchen. I don't remember the story but I seem to remember him having a remote coffee pot.

 

[Gabe1]

This is gorgeous!! I'm so bummed that I didn't see it this morning. It turned out to be a "real" Monday -- ugh.

Got up this morning and watched some news. Then I came up here and logged in--and the keyboard died!! So I didn't get to read anything here this morning. Hubs got another keyboard today and that's what I'm using here now.

I use to love squeaky clean new keyboards.